The Billionaire Who Saw Her Beauty

“Get him back in time, piccola. I’ve asked him to join us for dinner. Liona has put him in the guest apartment on the third floor. He’s probably eating lunch right now. Your mother’s plane is arriving so I have to get off the phone. A piu tarde, figlia mia.”

* * *

Rini had just finished a second cup of coffee when the beautiful woman he’d seen yesterday on the stairs walked in the dining room. He should have realized right away that she wasn’t quite as slender as Dea, but he preferred her curves. “Signor Montanari? I’m sorry if I’ve kept you waiting. I’m Alessandra.” She sounded slightly out of breath and looked flushed.

Earlier in the morning, after the count had asked him about his relationship with Dea, he’d left the castle for the airport. Rini thought it odd to be questioned about her, but he let it go.

At that point the count said that while he was gone, his daughter Alessandra would give him a tour of the property. According to him, she understood the impact of drilling on the environment better than anyone else and he would be in the best of hands. If she was an engineer, Rini had yet to find out.

He got up from the table. “We meet again. I’ve never met identical twins before.”

“Dea’s the older sister by three minutes.”

“Which accounts for the difference,” he teased. “I can see that.” He smiled and walked toward her. “Call me Rini.”

After a slight hesitation she shook the hand he extended. “Benvenuto a Posso, Rini. Papà told me you’d be our guest for a few days and asked me to show you around today.”

“That’s very kind of you, but I don’t want to inconvenience you.” He couldn’t read her thoughts.

“It’s all right. Papà said this was important.”

She’d dressed in a simple short-sleeved peach top and jeans. Her tanned olive skin indicated she spent a lot of time in the sun. His gaze traveled from her cognac-brown eyes to her neck-length slightly tousled brown hair rippled through with golden highlights.

As she pulled her hand away, he noticed she didn’t wear nail polish. The reason she looked so natural was her lack of makeup. Except that she did wear lipstick, a coral color that blended with the golden tone of her skin and drew his attention to her voluptuous mouth.

He remembered Dea’s mouth being sculpted the same way before she’d kissed him. How remarkable that identical twins could look so much alike, yet on closer inspection were so different.

“Your father said you’re the one who knows everything.”

“Oh, dear. I hope he really didn’t say it like that.”

Rini got the idea he’d embarrassed her. “He meant it as a compliment.”

“I’m his daughter so he has to say it,” she commented in a self-deprecating manner. “If you’re ready, we can go now.”

“Please lead the way.”

He followed her ultrafeminine figure out of the castle to a Land Rover parked near the main doors. Rini had done his homework. Her island home was renowned as an Italian treasure. What a coincidence the castle was home to both women!

Before Rini could credit it, she climbed in the driver’s seat. “You’ll need to move the seat back all the way to accommodate your legs,” she said after he opened the passenger door.

One corner of his mouth lifted as he did her bidding and climbed in. They attached their seat belts and she took off across the causeway to the mainland. She drove with expertise, as if she could do it blindfolded. After leaving the small town of Metaponto, they headed for verdant hills that were covered in ancient olive groves.

“My father explained why you’re here. Now that we’re on Caracciolo property, tell me why the CEO of Montanari Engineering wants to lease this particular piece of property in order to drill. A lease means taking on a lot of controls.” She didn’t mince words and was all business.

“Your land may not be for sale, but a lease means compromise that benefits both parties and could be lucrative.” Rini looked out over the mountainous, sparsely populated province of Basilicata. “Hidden in the arch of Italy’s agricultural boot is the home to Europe’s biggest on-shore oil field.”

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

“Italy produces one hundred and twelve thousand barrels a day, one tenth the North Sea’s level. My goal is to double Italian oil production within the next five years. If not on your land, then I’ll find others because as you know, the south is underdeveloped.”

“Your goals are very ambitious.”

“Agreed, but the potential of this particular untapped oil field is huge. We’re hoping to drill for the billion-plus barrels of crude oil that lie beneath it. Your father and I are hammering out ideas to preserve the existing environment while drilling for oil to boost the suffering Italian economy.”

“You sound like a politician.”

“Everyone should be concerned over our country’s unemployment problems. I’m particularly anxious for us to bring down the country’s twelve-percent jobless rate through new employment. The goal will be to obtain oil, yet maintain sustainable development of agriculture that will offer real career paths for the future.”

“I have to admit you make a good case.” She kept driving to the top of a ridge that overlooked the huge valley. Onorato Caracciolo was a clever man to send Rini out with his daughter first. Rini had a hunch it would be a smart idea to win her over to his idea since her father appeared to place great trust in her knowledge and intelligence. But after the misunderstanding involving his other daughter, he needed to walk carefully.

“If you wouldn’t mind stopping, I’d like to get out and look around.”

She pulled off the road and turned off the engine. While he walked a ways, she climbed down and rested one curving hip against the front fender to wait for him. When he returned she said, “I know you see oil beneath the property. But what I see is a fertile field that has been here for centuries. Your plan would create giant, unsightly scabs.”

His eyes narrowed on the features of her beautiful oval bone structure. “If you’re imagining dozens of derricks, you’d be wrong. My gut instinct is to build several right here in the shadow of the mountain out of sight. The existing road to the south travels straight to the sea, where the oil would be transported to tankers. One would barely be aware of the activity.”

“And if you find it, does that mean more derricks?”

“We’ll make that decision later.”

Her softly rounded chin lifted. “What if you don’t discover any?”

“Preliminary reports from this part of Italy indicate vast reserves. We’ll find it, but we’ll proceed slowly with your father having the final say in how long we are allowed to drill. Let me ask you a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“If I were to appeal to Queen Joanna herself and explain the benefits, what do you propose she would say? Forget how long ago she ruled. Your father tells me you’re a historian writing a biography on her. Your research means you know her better than any other living person today. Was she a risk taker?”

He could hear her mind working.

“She backed Antipope Clement VII against the unpopular Urban VI. For that she was given this papally owned land eventually bequeathed to our family. So yes, I’d say she was a risk taker.”

Rini’s lips twitched—he was fascinated by the knowledge inside her brain. “You think she would have granted me an audience?”

She stared at him. “I have no idea.”

“Humor me and put yourself in Joanna’s place.”

A smile broke the corners of her mouth he found more and more enticing. “It was a man’s world. I wouldn’t have trusted any of them. You, particularly, wouldn’t have been given a second audience.”

“Why single me out?”

“Because you’re handsome as the devil, increasing the odds of Joanna being tricked. Give me a little more time to think about your ideas that have persuaded my father to give you a hearing.”

“You mean you’re not tossing me out on my ear just yet?”

She opened the driver’s door. “Of course not. That’s for Papà to do.” On that note she climbed in and started the engine.